Combining archaeological and radiocarbon information: a Bayesian approach to calibration

Buck, Caitlin E.; Kenworthy, J. B.; Litton, C. D.; Smith, A. F. M.

doi:10.1017/s0003598x00080534

Cited by 265 publications

(195 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…see Walker et al (2003) and Blockley et al (2004). Bayesian methods have been applied to constrained radiocarbon dates for many years now (Buck et al (1991), Buck et al (1992)) and with greater frequency since the availability of software to perform such analyses (Bronk Ramsey (1995), Bronk Ramsey (2001, Jones and Nicholls (2002)). For details of Bayesian theory readers should look elsewhere (e.g.…”

Section: Methodological Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deposition models for chronological records

Ramsey

2008

Quaternary Science Reviews

1,418

443

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Long term sedimentary sequences provide a wealth of useful information for research into the palaeo-environment, especially in relation to past climate change. Shorter records provide similar information in many archaeological contexts. However if such records are to be used to provide precise timing of events, and more critically the relative timing between different records, methods are needed to provide accurate and precise age-depth models for these sequences. Given the imprecision of individual calibrated radiocarbon determinations it is necessary to use the information we have about the deposition process to refine our chronologies and also to provide interpolation between dated levels in any sequence. Even with layer counted chronologies, the uncertainties are sometimes hard to quantify. This paper outlines a range of Bayesian models for deposition which have been implemented in the computer programme OxCal. These models can be used to combine information from the sediments themselves with radiocarbon or other direct dating information. Such models have the potential to integrate information between different records and provide a coherent chronology on which to base environmental or archaeological research.

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Section: Methodological Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deposition models for chronological records

Ramsey

2008

Quaternary Science Reviews

1,418

443

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“…The radiocarbon dates were subjected to Bayesian chronological modelling (Buck et al 1991;1996), which has been undertaken using the program OxCal v4.2 (http://c14.arch.ox.ac.uk/). Details of the algorithms employed by OxCal v4.2 are available in Bronk Ramsey (1995;2001;2009) The results of the model are 'posterior density estimates', which are expressed as calendar years and presented in italics as probability ranges with end points rounded to the nearest 5 years.…”

Section: Chronology Of the Forteviot Cremationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cremation Practices and the Creation of Monument Complexes: The Neolithic Cremation Cemetery at Forteviot, Strathearn, Perth & Kinross, Scotland, and its comparanda

Noble¹,

Brophy

Hamilton

et al. 2017

Proc. Prehist. Soc.

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Around the beginning of the 3rd millennium cal BC a cremation cemetery was established at Forteviot, central Scotland. This place went on to become one of the largest monument complexes identified in Mainland Scotland, with the construction of a palisaded enclosure, timber structures, and a series of henge monuments and other enclosures. The cemetery was established between 3080 and 2900 cal BC, probably in the 30th century cal BC, which is contemporary with the cremation cemetery at Stonehenge. Nine discrete deposits of cremated bone, representing the remains of at least 18 people, were identified. In most instances they were placed within cut features and, in one case, a series of cremation deposits was associated with a broken standing stone. This paper includes the first detailed assessment of the cremated remains at Forteviot and the features associated with the cemetery, and explores how the establishment of this cemetery may have been both a catalyst and inspiration for the elaborate monument building and prolonged acts of remembrance that occurred at this location over a period of almost 1000 years. The paper also outlines the parallels for Forteviot across Britain and, for the first time, draws together the dating evidence (including Bayesian modelling) for this major category of evidence for considering the nature of late 4th/ early 3rd millennium cal BC society. The results and discussion have wide implications and resonances for contemplating the establishment and evolution of monument complexes in prehistoric Britain and beyond.

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“…The major advantage of Bayesian modelling is that it combines preexisting information with radiocarbon dates to generate modelled dates through likelihood estimation (Buck et al 1991). The collected dates were fed into the program OxCal version 4 (Bronk Ramsey 1994, 1995) using the calibration curve for the southern hemisphere (McCormac et al 2004) at the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, by Mark Pollard.…”

Section: Bayesian Modelling Of Zimbabwe Culture Radiocarbon Datesmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Pathways of Sociopolitical Complexity in Southern Africa

Chirikure¹,

Manyanga²,

Pikirayi

et al. 2013

Afr Archaeol Rev

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Much is known about the economy and spatial organization of Zimbabwe culture entities of Mapungubwe, Great Zimbabwe and Khami but less in terms of their origins and relationship with each other. Based on little tangible evidence, it is believed and widely accepted that the societies based at Mapungubwe (AD 1220-1290), Great Zimbabwe (AD 1300-1450) and Khami (AD 1450-1820) rose, developed and eclipsed in tandem. A recent reexamination of the relationship between these settlements and related ones using local ceramics, imported artefacts, stone architecture and Bayesian modelling suggests this may not have been the case. The synthesis proffered revelations which temper the widely accepted assumption that sociopolitical complexity in southern Africa began in the Shashi-Limpopo Valley before anywhere else in the region. Firstly, there are numerous Zhizo and Leopard's Kopje sites that predate Mapungubwe but contain prestige goods and stone structures dating from the late first millennium AD. Secondly, material culture studies and modelled radiocarbon dates indicate that Great Zimbabwe evolved out of Gumanye while Khami, like Mapungubwe, may have developed out of the Leopard's Kopje. In fact, Great Zimbabwe was already a place of importance when Mapungubwe collapsed. Thirdly, Khami and Great Zimbabwe overlapped for over a century, before the latter buckled. Therefore, the evolution of sociopolitical complexity in southern Africa may have followed trajectories that are different from what the current understanding implies. (1450-1820 ap. J-C) auraient été fondés, se seraient développés et se seraient effondrés successivement. De récentes recherches ont exploré les relations entre ces différents sites ainsi que ceux qui y sont rattachés, en étudiant les céramiques locales, les objets importés, la typologie des murs de pierres et notamment les préférences résidentielles, et la modélisation Bayesienne. La synthèse permet de tempérer la vision dominante selon laquelle la complexité sociopolitique dans le Sud de l'Afrique a commencé dans la vallée du Shashi-Limpopo, avant tout autre site dans la région. Tout d'abord, il y a de nombreux sites antérieurs à Mapungubwe, Zhizo et Leopard's Kopje, avec des biens de prestige et des fortifications en pierre datant de la fin du premier millénaire ap. J-C. Ces caractéristiques seraient apparus à K2 et Mapungubwe dans la dépression du Limpopo. Deuxièmement, la culture matérielle et les datations carbones indiquent que Great Zimbabwe était déjà un lieu important quand Mapungubwe s'est effondré. Enfin, Khami et Great Zimbabwe coexistent pendant plus d'un siècle, avant que ce dernier ne tombe en déchéance. Par conséquent, la complexité sociopolitique dans le Sud de l'Afrique a probablement emprunté des trajectoires différentes de celles qui sont actuellement tracées avec les connaissances disponibles.

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Combining archaeological and radiocarbon information: a Bayesian approach to calibration

Cited by 265 publications

References 21 publications

Deposition models for chronological records

Deposition models for chronological records

Cremation Practices and the Creation of Monument Complexes: The Neolithic Cremation Cemetery at Forteviot, Strathearn, Perth & Kinross, Scotland, and its comparanda

New Pathways of Sociopolitical Complexity in Southern Africa

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